This story was originally published in the 2024 edition of Discovery magazine, the College of Science's publication. This edition of Discovery celebrated the 20th anniversary of the College of Science.
NevadaTeach is a dual-degree program that expands opportunities for STEM students interested in teaching. In four years, these University students receive a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a bachelor’s degree in their chosen STEM field. Initially funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the National Math and Science Initiative, the NevadaTeach program is part of the nationwide UTeach network (which equips future teachers with STEM-specific training). Since 2020, NevadaTeach has graduated an average of 25 students per year and the majority are teaching in Nevada schools.
The program got its start with a successful proposal by founding co-directors Gina Tempel, emeritus associate dean in the College of Science, and Robert Quinn, professor in the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD). The first course in NevadaTeach, "Step 1" was offered in fall 2015, with 21 students enrolled. The program has since grown, and its alumni follow a variety of post-college pursuits, including teaching, graduate school and entering the STEM workforce.
NevadaTeach has expanded from its original collaboration between the College of Science and COEHD. Students in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources and the School of Public Health can now pursue their dual degrees through NevadaTeach. Biology and mathematics are the most common STEM degree choices for NevadaTeach students. In the College of Science, NevadaTeach students can also get their degrees in atmospheric science, chemistry, geography, geology, microbiology and immunology and physics.
NevadaTeach students learn STEM content in the College of Science (or other home college) and receive teaching licensure training in the COEHD. Program progression for NevadaTeach participants relies on this synergistic mix of STEM and educational theory courses, in tandem with the development and presentation of STEM lessons within secondary education classrooms. Students have integrated support from Master Teachers, who are experienced, award-winning former middle and high school teachers with advanced degrees. To date, three of the NevadaTeach Master Teachers have earned their doctoral degrees in STEM education at the University. Master Teachers use the UTeach model to mentor students, support professional development opportunities, model classroom instruction and management and provide valuable feedback to students.
Nevada Gold Mines and Newmont mining companies have each supported rural education development by providing funds to NevadaTeach. Master Teachers Mandi Collins '02 (secondary education – biological science), '07 M.Ed. (educational leadership), '21 Ph.D. (STEM education), Megan Beckam '22 Ph.D. (STEM education) and Charmi Mitchell '14 (secondary education – agricultural science) are also writing grants to national organizations with a goal of continuing STEM education outreach with Nevada’s rural communities. Outreach includes supporting STEM educators with quality professional learning opportunities, encouraging high school students to consider career pathways in STEM through recruitment efforts, and enlisting NevadaTeach pre-service teachers to apprentice and commit to teaching in high-need rural Nevada following graduation.
"It is through these funding opportunities that NevadaTeach can not only recruit and retain students at the University in STEM programs and NevadaTeach, but also support the retention of STEM educators in rural Nevada," Collins said.
"Rural education is a priority of ours," Melanie Duckworth, executive director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and former co-director of NevadaTeach, said. "There are fewer resources in rural areas, so it’s critical that we engage with those communities in a meaningful way."
Professional development for NevadaTeach students
NevadaTeach participants get real-world experience teaching in local elementary and middle school classrooms within their first two semesters, working with mentor teachers to develop and present grade-appropriate STEM lessons. Culturally relevant teaching skills incorporated into the NevadaTeach curriculum play an important role as students develop lesson plans. Students are able to attend and present at the UTeach STEM Educators Association’s conference. Additionally, engagement with local nonprofits is required in two NevadaTeach courses.
Other internship opportunities arise from collaborative outreach programs involving research scientists and Master Teachers. Joel Scheingross, an associate professor in the geology department, tapped Beckam to participate in a National Science Foundation grant-funded outreach program. Scheingross and Beckam will develop a 12-week professional development course about earth science topics for pre- and in-service middle school teachers. NevadaTeach pre-service teachers get first dibs on enrolling in the course, for which they earn a micro-credential and a stipend. The course then opens up to all practicing teachers.
"The goal is to increase content knowledge and pedagogy in the geosciences," Beckam said.
Practicing teachers will then develop age-appropriate geoscience lesson plans and teach them to middle school students. Recent grant applications out of NevadaTeach seek to provide additional funded STEM industry and education internships.
Students in NevadaTeach can also participate in the Daugherty Summer Science Exploration program. Organized by Master Teachers Beckam and Nick Nemsgern '00 (biology), '14 M.Ed. (educational leadership), the Daugherty Summer Science Exploration program brings local middle schoolers to the University campus for experiences in College of Science research laboratories over a week in early summer. NevadaTeach student interns coordinate lessons and host the middle school visitors. Students from Depoali, Silverland and Traner middle schools visited campus as part of the Daugherty Summer Science Exploration program in 2024.
The Desert Research Institute and NevadaTeach received a National Science Foundation grant to provide fire science curriculum to Northern Nevada students. Fire Science Ecology Green Boxes are hands-on experimental learning kits designed to teach children in Washoe County about fire and its role in the environment. NevadaTeach student
interns have been instrumental in developing lesson plans and providing these experiences to over 600 students in Washoe County.
Alumni showcase NevadaTeach excellence
Students in the NevadaTeach program excel in their academics. Take Westfall Scholars (see page 54) Samson Stynen and Kaviny Giritharan. Stynen recently earned a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to pursue an advanced degree, studying entomology conservation. Giritharan graduated in spring 2023 and plans to apply to medical school to become a pediatric oncologist after spending a year teaching in Nevada.
NevadaTeach directly supports the University’s land grant mission by developing professionals who give back to the state. While graduates are prepared for many career paths, nearly two thirds of the program’s 140 graduates are teaching in Nevada school districts. Across the state, the program has engaged with six districts, 65 schools and over 250 mentor teachers. Despite being a young program, NevadaTeach alumni are already making a positive impact in their communities. For example, Caitlin Rosal, 2023 NevadaTeach graduate in mathematics and current Hug High School teacher, recently won the Spring 2024 Teacher Appreciation Washoe County Grand Prize from the De Castroverde Law Group.
With so many accomplished alumni, NevadaTeach faculty are excited for the program’s future.
"We look forward to seeing more and more of our graduates leading the way as STEM educators and professionals in Nevada," Beckam said. "Our graduates are already taking on leadership roles. One of our alumni, a middle school teacher at Silverland, is the newly elected Middle School Representative for the Nevada State Science Teachers Association. Another graduate in Las Vegas was also recently elected to that board as the representative from Clark County."
"It’s been wonderful to see the real impact this program has had on our students, and on our students’ students," Duckworth said. The program will celebrate its 10th year at the University in 2025.
